


The Iron Bar

by TheL3mon



Series: The Iron Bar [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 15:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8377987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheL3mon/pseuds/TheL3mon
Summary: Asked to set up a bar on Felwinter's Peak, Aleta decides now could be a good time to 'retire' and takes up a new mantle of the Iron Bartender.
A series of drabbles and fics centered around an age old Hunter and the Guardians that make up her family.





	1. Chapter 1

Aleta had been all too eager to accept the ‘break’ that Lord Saladin had offered, the SIVA threat having been quelled by the Guardian's actions. She was grateful that the Iron Lord had recognised her exhaustion, Aleta's normally sunny disposition had taken a beating due to the stress of the virus’s growth in the Cosmodrome. Her friends and the Guardians who knew anything about her had voiced their concerns, Cayde-6 in particular, who had masked his apprehension with a joke of, “I don't want to lose my favourite Hunter.” 

So here Aleta was, spending her ‘break’ climbing up Felwinter Peak. She'd already discovered a disused camp with a fire that was, despite the biting wind and cold, lit and roaring. The camp was on a wide ledge further down, Aleta having taken the climb to a, literally, whole different level. 

“You do realise you're going to run out of mountain eventually?” Her Ghost asked, bobbing around her head, conspicuously not helping her up the rocks to show his disapproval. 

Aleta rolled her eyes and grunted, her arms and legs aching as she pulled herself up onto another ledge, pulling up her knees and taking a breath. “Well. When I get to the top and take pictures, I can send them to Cayde and Nox and brag about it.” She joked in reply.

Her Ghost made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a ‘tut’ but he disappeared in a fizzle of static leaving Aleta to continue upward. 

It wasn't long before there was ledge above her that jutted out, making her push herself off the side of the mountain to try to get a handhold. She did, but this ledge was uncharacteristically smooth compared to the others. Aleta hauled herself up and over, her arms screaming, and rolled onto her stomach to catch her breath. 

After she'd gathered herself, Aleta realised just how big the ledge was and stood up. She looked over the side and could just barely make out the Iron Temple plaza, her eyes squinting. Aleta whistled,  _ wow she was up high. _

Her Ghost reappeared next to her but was facing the other way, prompting the Hunter to turn around. She was not expecting what she saw.

Towering above her was the entrance to a cave, stalagmites and stalactites making it look like a wolf’s gaping mouth.  _ Now if that isn't surprising, _ she thought to herself in jest.

“I didn't know about any caves near the top of Felwinter’s Peak.” Ghost stated, his computerised voice full of awe. He started scanning the entrance, his little body expanding slightly, trying to capture the whole opening. 

Finishing, his body snapped back to its original shape, “It goes on quite a bit but that's all I could get.”

Aleta nodded and moved forward, ready to venture into the cave. 

“Wait! Where are you going?!” Her Ghost said in alarm.

The shout stopped her mid-stride and she pivoted on her foot to turn back to her Ghost. She looked between him and the cave, “Ermmmmm. Inside?”

“But what- what if there's a bear in there or something?” 

That made Aleta snort in amusement, “Did your scans pick up any life forms?”

“Well no. No they didn't but-”

“Then it's perfectly,” Aleta started, “sa-aaaaafe!” Her confident stride turning into a tumble as she slid down a smoothed rock descent.

“Aleta!” Her Ghost shouted, zipping to follow her, light on.


	2. Chapter 2

After her initial shock and surprise dissipated, Aleta actually quite liked the slide down. It wasn’t incredibly long but long enough to tell her she'd come down and into the mountain, quite a bit.

She had stood up and was brushing herself off when her Ghost arrived, it's whirring louder in the echoing cavern. His light moved across the rocks while he asked if she was okay.

“Don't worry about me,” she chuckled, “We've been around for an age and I don't feel like dying yet.”

She readjusted her cloak before turning her full attention to the area she was in. The rock here had been smoothed as well, not even a pebble on the polished stone. 

Aleta spun slowly in awe. It  _ was _ amazing. After a full circle, her eyes came to rest on a huge metal door, carved into it: the iconic Iron Banner tree. She approached it and ran her fingers over the intricate design. 

Her hum of thought echoed in the cave, “Well, this is interesting.” She tried pushing on the door but there was no give and the surface was to smooth to try to get a grip to pull it open. The Hunter stepped back a bit and put her hands on her hips. It was with a wider view that Aleta noticed the groove on the far right of the door. She stepped back up to the door and put her fingertips into the crack. She pushed it open and then pulled to the left. Her actions made the door slide open and reveal an even darker room. This time she noticed the step down, though. 

“Hey Ghost? Do you think you can get any lights in here?” Aleta queried. 

“I can certainly try.” Her Ghost answered, his body expanding and scanning for a power box. After about a minute, he shouted “A-ha!” in triumph.

Sure enough the lights in the room flickered on, casting the room in a warm glow. Aleta took of her helmet, a mask she'd earned from Saladin and moved over to a table to set it down. She noticed that there was a lot of dust on the table when her helmet made a puff of it rise up. 

But her main interest was the room she was in. It was huge. 

At the very back of the room was a glass cabinet with a mahogany wood bar surrounding it. The low light glinted off of the different coloured bottles inside and Aleta could give a good guess as to what was in them. There were a couple more tables, like the one she was standing at, and they were all arranged around a smallish platform, a stage of sorts. To the left of the stage was a series of steps down to another level and from what she could see, the steps led to a smallish study area. Around the edges of the room were plush-looking sofas and loveseats and she grinned as she went over and sat down heavily on one, regretting it as a cloud of dust rose and she sneezed again and again. 

Her Ghost made a shaking movement with its body and scanned away the dust, tutting as he did so. 

“Thanks.” Aleta said, a little breathlessly. With the dust gone she settled back down into her seat, almost feeling swallowed up by the velvet as she sank into it. “This is quite a place.” She mused. 

Her Ghost settled on the armrest and added, “I've never seen anything quite like it before.” 

All of a sudden, the exhaustion of her climb up the mountain took hold of her and she struggled to keep her eyes open against the warm glow of the room and the rhythmic humming of her Ghost’s systems. Eventually she gave up her battle against unconsciousness and pulled her legs up onto the sofa, wrapping herself into her cloak and resting her head near her Ghost. 

She'd decide what to do with the room tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Aleta woke up without opening her eyes, a Hunter habit and felt around slowly, something not quite right. The give of the soft velvet brought back memories of the previous day, prompting her to open her eyes. What she was not expecting was Lord Saladin standing over the top of her. 

_ That's what woke me up. _ She thought as she sat up. 

“You have found the Iron Bar, young wolf.” Saladin chuckled. “Somehow, you always seem to surprise me.”

Aleta smiled at the Iron Lord before standing up, “Forgive me, I didn't know it was here, I just... found it?” She walked back over to where her helmet was and picked it up. “So that's what this place is called? ‘The Iron Bar’?”

Saladin nodded, his cloak shifting as he looked around the room. “Yes. Long ago, at least.” He looked back at Aleta, “The Iron Lords would spend their free time here, although, I admit they didn't have much of it. And now, this room is just another relic.”

Aleta fiddled with the helmet in her hands, fingers running over the grooves, at a loss for words. Saladin regarded her with a steady look, thinking, before speaking again, “I believe I have a mission for you, young wolf.”

She looked at Saladin curiously,  _ I thought I was supposed to be on vacation?  _

“I would like you to fix up the Iron Bar to its former glory.”

Her eyes widened in shock and she smiled widely at the Iron Lord, “It would be an honour.” She frowned a little, “Although. I'm not very good at planning so far ahead.” Saladin mirrored her expression and so she asked, “Would it be possible if I got other Guardians involved in the project?”

Saladin's face smoothed, “Of course, young wolf.” 

With a nod, Aleta put on her helmet and adjusted her cloak so it sat on her shoulders just right, she was headed to the Tower and had to look her best. She was about to head out the way she came when she turned back to Saladin. “How did you get up here?”

Saladin looked amused by her question but gestured to a dark alcove she hadn't noticed the day before. “The stairs.”

“Right. The stairs.” Her Ghost deadpanned, materialising next to her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, I didn't realise how short that chapter was until posted it...


	4. Chapter 4

Aleta's return to the Tower was met with a warm greeting from Cayde, who had  _ coincidentally  _ been in the Tower Hangar at her arrival.

“Hey, Wings! Salad-man finally let you leave?” Cayde jested. Aleta threw her head back and laughed, helmet in her subspace.

“Sort of.” She answered, “He's asked me to re-establish the ‘Iron Bar’.”

Cayde’s optics brightened, “That's pretty impressive, Wings.”

“I know right? I'm allowed to bring some other Guardians into the mix to get their ideas on it. I'm going to show them the room and everything. You should see it Cayde! All polished stone and varnished wood. I admit it's a little  _ old fashioned _ , if you know what I mean.” Aleta wiggled her eyebrows, gesturing along with her story. “I'm going to recruit Nox ‘cause he's pretty good at planning and then we'll see how it soars from there. Get it?”

Cayde chuckled at her exuberance, “Have fun, Aleta. I'm expecting an invite to the opening night though.” 

After they parted, Aleta continued down to the Halls of Residence for the Guardians, more specifically the Hunter's Wing. She waved amicably to the Guardians she passed, greeting those who bade her good day. They made her smile and when she reached the door she needed, she was beaming. 

However, as she raised her hand to knock, she paused. There were some  _ suspicious _ sounds coming from behind the lightweight metal. Aleta leaned forward and grinned even wider as she figured out what the sounds were. 

_ Well then.  _ She thought.  _ This is interesting. _

After a moment's deliberation, Aleta threw open the door. Stomping loudly into the apartment, she shouted, “No-ox!!!”

There was a ‘thump!’ from the bedroom and then an angry, “Al-eta!!!” which was quickly drowned out by her laughter. 

Still laughing, Aleta moved into the kitchen and started making a pot of tea, taking great amusement in the scrabbling she could hear in the other room. 

As she finished preparing her drink, sitting down on the small couch that occupied the ‘living room’ of the apartment, the door to the bedroom was opened, making Aleta snort. 

In the doorway was a man about 6’, tanned and lithe with emerald green eyes that sparkled with embarrassment. 

Aleta just smiled widely and greeted the Hunter, “Hi Nox!”, adding a wave. 

And then another head appeared over Nox's shoulder. This man was Awoken, clearly a Titan with pale, shimmering skin that accentuated his fire-y orange eyes. He didn't look impressed. 

“This had better be good, Aleta.” The Awoken growled.

Aleta just snorted, rolling her eyes, “Hello to you too, Cain.” 

Nox stepped further into the room and collapsed into the place opposite Aleta, head lying on the back of the couch. “Is there something I can help you with ‘Leta?” 

Aleta jumped up from her seat, somehow not spilling her tea. “Actually, there is.” She took a sip of her drink, “Lord Saladin would like me to reopen a bar on Felwinter’s Peak.”

Cain seemed to perk up immediately and Nox looked equally as surprised. They waited for Aleta to continue. 

“And I need your help.” She supplied.

Cain was the first to recover from his shock, shaking his head as he focused his gaze on Aleta, “ _ You  _ need  _ our  _ help?” disbelief tainting his question.

Aleta nodded enthusiastically, “Yup! I'm going to show you the bar and then we can plan from there.” She frowned momentarily, “But I want some other Guardians in on it too. To make the bar as awesome as possible!”

Nox sat up and rested his chin on a hand, thinking. “I might know a couple people who'd be interested. Sebastian-13 and Olivia…” He named, using his fingers to count.

“Chloe!” Cain interrupted, coughing to hide his excitement. “Errrr….. she'd probably like to do this…”

Nox looked at his boyfriend, his eyes loving, and nodded, “Yeah. Chloe-26.” He hummed in thought. “Oh! Areli! He'd be an awesome person on the team.”

Cain looked dubious, he didn't sound impressed, “Areli? The Warlock who  _ actively _ avoids the public spaces? That Areli?”

Nox nodded, confident in his decision. “I think so.” 

Cain agreed reluctantly. 

“Right, ok! So. Nox, can you get Seb and Olivia? And Cain, you ask Chloe?” Aleta spoke up. “I'll convince Areli.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Ta da!!!” 

Aleta flung her arms out and spun in a slow circle, showing off the ‘Iron Bar’. The others filed into the room after her and gave out sounds of awe at the room. It was almost exactly how she'd left it, the only difference being the suspicious lack of dust. Aleta silently thanked Saladin, she thinks Olivia might have been allergic. 

Areli stepped into the room last and his eyes were almost immediately drawn to the platform. He had been hard to convince but eventually his Warlock curiosity swayed him to, at least, see the room. 

Aleta grinned. They were clearly impressed. 

“This,” Chloe-26 started, “Is actually awesome. And we get to rejuv’ the place?” 

Aleta nodded enthusiastically. “Saladin would like to see it active again, what with Felwinter’s being open to the higher Light Guardians.”

Sebastian had moved over to the bar and had opened up the cabinet, meticulously going through the bottles. He didn't even look up when he asked, “Ermmmm. Quick question. How we going to pay for this stuff?”

That caused a dawning realisation on the present Guardians but Aleta was quick to reassure them. 

“Oh, don't worry about that. I have got  _ more  _ than enough Glimmer to cover a project like this.”

That caused Seb to lift his head and regard Aleta with a look but he didn't push it, shrugging his shoulders he went back to the cabinet, “Whatever you say ‘Leta.”

Olivia had taken out a sketch-pad and was jotting furiously onto the paper, Nox and Cain looking over her shoulder. They were muttering to each other, almost unaware of the things going on around them. 

That was until a ‘CRASH!’ made everyone turn around, hands flying to where their weapons would be, only to see Chloe on top of what used to be a wooden table. Aleta laughed and went over and offered the female Titan a hand up.

“Ermmm. Sorry?” She said sheepishly, accepting the hand, “I was checking to see how strong the table was.” She looked at the rubble, “It could have been stronger.” 

Aleta just cackled while the others snorted in amusement. 

“Right. I think I've got a basic interior design.” Olivia said, after the Guardians had calmed down, spreading her sketches across the bar, prompting the group to congregate around her.

Aleta gaped at the pictures before her. They were amazing, despite being done in the minutes they had been here. 

The drawings showed a more updated bar lounge set up. The lighting looked soft and there was a certain SIVA-esque feel to the bar, having been drawn with a geometrical kind of style. The platform was still part of the plan but Olivia had drawn it with a light emanating from underneath it. The sofas and loveseats had a shine to them which Aleta interpreted to be leather of some sort and in the corner of the page was what appeared to be a fire. 

“This is amazing, Olivia.” Aleta praised, enraptured with all the details of the sketches. 

The Hunter in question blushed a little and played with her hair, “It's only a quick plan, you know? So I could make it better…”

But Aleta quickly interrupted with a genuine smile, “It's fantastic.” 

“So who's gonna do what?” asked Sebastian, leaning across the polished wood of the bar. 

After a couple minutes of discussion it was decided that Sebastian and Aleta would find a City brewery to make a partnership with, Areli and Nox would find Guardians who would be interested in performing on the little stage while Chloe, Olivia and Cain would sort out the furniture for the bar. 


	6. Chapter 6

Aleta carried in another box of alcohol to put on the bar while Sebastian put the bottles away gently. She dropped the box onto the wood with a ‘clink’ of the contents rattling.

“Careful!” The Exo Hunter hissed, his glare harsh through white optics. 

Aleta held up her hands placatingly, backing away a bit in mock fear, chuckling as she did so.“I'm just excited! The bar is opening tomorrow!” 

Seb rolled his eyes and turned away, shaking his head. “I know, Aleta. You have  _ literally _ been counting down the days. Calm down, a little.” He turned back to her, “Please?”

“But I can't.” Aleta whined, exaggerating a pout, “Can you blame me?”

And really, he couldn't. The bar was a sight to see. Cain, Chloe and Olivia had truly done their job. The flooring of the bar was a dark polished wood, the stage an even darker wood with a faint white light glowing from underneath it. The shiny leather seats were arranged in small ‘circles’ around the room with the area around the bar and stage clear of any furniture. The bar itself was lit up with white light, mirrors arranged into geometrical shapes reflecting the light into the room. While more ‘modern’ than the room before, the bar lounge still held an ‘Iron Lord’ kind of feel to it. 

After taking the room in Sebastian realised something and he quickly hid his panic behind a tone of indifference. “So. Ermmmmm. Aleta? Who's gonna, ya know, be the bartender?”

Aleta sighed and, with a serious look, said, “I am.” 

Her statement made Seb nearly drop the bottle he was holding and whip around to face her, “ _ You _ ?” He laughed but it turned faint when he saw just how serious she was, “Damn the Darkness, you're not kidding.” 

“Nope.” She popped the ‘p’, her face relaxing into a smile, “I'm tired, Seb. If you knew how long I'd been around you'd wonder why I hadn't stopped already.”

“But what about your weapons? The Exotics only you have? Your armour?” Sebastian asked, sounding increasingly more distressed.

Aleta just chuckled. “Areli’s helping me put them on display downstairs later.” 

Seb let out a long whistle, “Forgot about down there. What else are you putting down the ‘dancers’?”

“The maps I've made over the years, notes from Titans I once knew and drawings from Warlocks that eventually met the same fate…”

“Wow. I'm sorry Aleta.”

“Don't be. It's ok now.”

Sebastian was quiet, looking down. He knew Aleta didn't like talking about the past and he felt guilty for stirring up unwanted emotions. 

She looked at him and reached over the bar to shake his shoulder. “Really. Don't beat yourself up about this.” She grinned, brightening the room by herself, “Besides, I got to meet new people, right? Guardians like you.”

Seb tipped his head, conceding the point and feeling a little bashful at the compliment. “Whatever you say, ‘Leta.” After that, Aleta left to get another box and he continued putting the alcohol in the cabinet, strongest at the top. 

~

Aleta was thankful Areli was helping her carry her weapons down into ‘The Library’. It meant they could do it quicker so they could spend more time on arrangement and presentation.

The group had explored the downstairs area after determining who was going to do what. Aleta had totally forgotten about it until Areli has asked where the stairs led. 

When they had went down, they had discovered couple of very dusty shelves, map displays and tables with unfinished sketches and musings laid out. Areli had been ecstatic. The normally quiet and reserved Warlock had practically bowled everyone over in order to get to the books, to the amusement of the Hunters and tutting of the Titans. He had come out of his shell and had started talking quickly and with exuberance about the preciousness of the works on the shelves and around the room. He had barely stopped to take a breath when Aleta asked him if he wanted to be in charge of the Library too. The simple question had the Warlock beaming and agreeing as quick as he possibly could while still being understood. 

Even now, as she carried her rifles into the room, she could hear Areli humming quietly to himself, totally at ease in his surroundings. 

The Hunter laid out her guns to be scrutinised by the Warlock so they could determine where they'd go. 

Areli had already been down here, having set up some sort of suspension mechanism on the biggest wall, meaning they could rearrange weapons without having to take them down. The science went over Aleta's head but it had something to do with the upgrades the Warlock had done to his own armour so that less sand got into it when he was on Mars. It was all very impressive. 

“So, what do ya’ think?” 

Areli hummed in thought, glancing between the wall and the guns they'd laid out on the table. “Maybe we could have your Exotics in the middle with the legendary ones next to them and as we get further away from the middle, we put lower grade weapons?”

Aleta imagined it, trying to think of a figuration for the display. Her Exotic hand cannons could go near the top while her swords and rocket launchers took up the space at the bottom. She nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah! That sounds good!”

For the next couple of hours, the pair methodically arranged the weapons on the wall, Aleta putting them up and Areli adding a small plaque underneath them. When they were finished they moved onto the papers Aleta had collected over the years and sorted through them, putting them away or displaying them in terms of their topic or contents. Most of the maps went up onto the wall with any others being carefully rolled and stacked onto shelves based on what planet the maps were drawn of. Some of the drawings went with the maps, those that showed a key landmark or secret route. 

After they were finished, they took in their handiwork. 

Aleta nodded in satisfaction, the neat and tidy room making her feel proud of her work. “Nice.”

Areli’s quiet chuckle made her turn and grin at him. He returned the bright smile with a small one of his own and turned back towards the weapons.

“I didn't realise you had such an extensive collection of weapons.” The Warlock stated, a little awed. “I haven't even seen some of these weapons before.”

Aleta hummed in response, “When you've been around as long as I have, you get to become the owner of some pretty awesome weaponry.” 

Areli looked unsure for a moment, like he wanted to ask something and she knew exactly what he wanted to know so she said, “C’mon, just ask. I’m not gonna bite. Well, not unless you want me to.” She winked at him.

He blushed, his pale purple cheeks darkening so he asked, “How old  _ are _ you?” to cover his embarrassment. Aleta just laughed at him before going quiet.

After a couple of moments she spoke up, “I used to be friends with Dredgen Yor.”

The Warlock shivered. He’d heard all about the Hunter who’d gone rogue. Like, turned to the Darkness kind of rogue. Areli whispered, disbelief in his voice, “The wielder of the Thorn.”

“Yup.” She replied, popping her ‘p’. She turned and looked at him, “Been shot by it too.”

He gaped at her but she just smiled softly. She stepped past him, closing his mouth with a gentle press of her finger under his chin. “Maybe I’ll show you the scar some day.”

Areli stared after her, rooted to the spot. As she got to the stairs she paused and casted a glance over her shoulder, still with that soft smile, “Let’s go. We got a bar to open.” And then she disappeared up the winding staircase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The other drabbles in this series aren't going to be in any sort of order, they're just set after Aleta opens the bar. Just a heads up xD

**Author's Note:**

> I'm using this series as a way to work on my focus and writing and what better way than to do so while writing fics on my favourite game? 
> 
> Anyhoo. Hit me up on my Destiny blog - www.unite-destiny.tumblr.com  
> Or, come say hi at my main - www.thel3mon.tumblr.com


End file.
